A/N: I'm really sorry this update took so long. Needless to say, things happened (mostly school). But here it is now. For those of you who follow this story, I hope it was worth the wait.
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.
Chapter Six: Vixenpaw's Idea
"Not too far," instructed Nightwatcher, keeping a careful eye on Branchpaw as the apprentice tested his injured leg. "And if it starts to hurt, come back right away. Though I doubt you'll listen to me anyway," he muttered.
Branchpaw didn't say anything, but he knew the medicine cat was right. After being confined to camp for so long, he couldn't imagine heading back at the first twinge in his leg. So he wouldn't make a promise he knew he wouldn't keep.
"Now go," Nightwatcher meowed, giving the apprentice a nudge with his nose. "And come back before sundown."
"All right," Branchpaw replied reluctantly. He wanted to return to the apprentices' den, where his friends would tell stories late into the night or play games in the narrow rays of moonlight that came through the tiny holes in the ceiling. He wanted to curl up beside his littermates again, reassured by their soft breathing and the warmth of their fur. He wanted to purr with amusement as Vixenpaw and Blackpaw grumbled as they were dragged out of their nests for the dawn patrol. But I guess that will have to wait, he thought.
Branchpaw walked out of the medicine den, favoring his injured leg slightly, but hardly limping at all. He stretched luxuriously under the golden sun, relishing the feeling of the winds of the approaching leaf-fall buffeting his fur. It was good to be out in the camp again, and it felt even better to pad over to join his littermates at the mouth of the apprentices' den.
Vixenpaw noticed him first; her eyes lit up as soon as they met his. "Branchpaw!" she called, beckoning with her tail. "Come join us!"
"That's what I was going to do," he purred, closing the gap between them and touching noses with his sister. Then he turned, licking Flamepaw's ear by way of greeting. "I've missed you two while I was gone."
"And we missed you," mewed Vixenpaw, bumping Branchpaw's side with her shoulder in a somewhat rare gesture of affection. "Are you out of the medicine den for good?"
"Unfortunately, no," he replied, "but Nightwatcher did say I can go out of the camp for a little while, as long as I don't go too far."
Vixenpaw gave a little mrrow of delight, while Flamepaw purred. "Great," they meowed in unison. Branchpaw purred with amusement.
"So, did anything interesting happen here while I was gone?" he asked, changing the subject. He wanted to hear about everything that had gone on while he was in the medicine den. That was one of the reasons he was always awake late at night: he hated feeling like he was missing something. Only Flamepaw ever stayed up later than he did, but Flamepaw never explained his reasons for doing anything, so he didn't know why.
"I thought Flamepaw was bringing you news," said Vixenpaw, giving their younger brother a sharp look that Branchpaw didn't understand.
"I was," Flamepaw mewed defensively. "I just had limited time, that's all. I couldn't tell Branchpaw all the details about everything that happened or I would keep Lionvoice waiting. He always wants to take me training in the morning, and he wants me to get more sleep in the evening. He's been pushing me really hard this past quarter moon."
Branchpaw blinked, surprised; Flamepaw hardly ever spoke, and when he did, it was usually only one or two sentences at a time. Giving this long of a speech wasn't like him. Evidently it surprised Flamepaw just as much as it surprised his littermates. He blinked, then averted his eyes by turning to wash his side.
Vixenpaw gave Branchpaw an exasperated look. But before she could say anything, Hazelclaw padded up to join them. "There you are, Vixenpaw," the deputy meowed. "I was looking everywhere for you."
Vixenpaw leaped to her paws. "Are we going hunting?" she asked eagerly.
Hazelclaw gave her a sharp, blue-eyed stare. "I am," she mewed. "You aren't."
Vixenpaw looked crestfallen. "Why not?"
Hazelclaw sighed in exasperation. "You've been hunting and patrolling almost non-stop for days. You need your rest. I want you to stay in camp today; even if you don't sleep, I want you to avoid physically straining yourself."
"That's a load of mouse-dung," Vixenpaw muttered under her breath.
Hazelclaw twitched an ear. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Vixenpaw mewed brightly.
Hazelclaw looked suspicious for a moment before apparently deciding to let it go. "I'm sure your brother would appreciate some company," she meowed, angling her ears toward Branchpaw, who stood beside them. "Nightwatcher told me not to assign him on any patrols just yet, but he's allowed to take a short walk." She put special emphasis on the word 'short' as though she were teaching them a new word. Branchpaw wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed. "You could go with him. But you'd better make sure that neither of you overexert yourselves."
"Fine," Vixenpaw meowed resentfully, lowering her eyes to hide the anger that Branchpaw could see simmering there from her mentor.
Hazelclaw glanced at Flamepaw, who stood next to Branchpaw. "Better yet, take Flamepaw with you," she said, amusement gleaming in her eyes. "The only responsible one among the three of you. I'll speak with Lionvoice about letting you off duty for today. Perhaps we three mentors will go on a hunting patrol without our apprentices for once. It'll give both of us a break."
She turned to leave, then glanced over her shoulder. "And if you really want something to do, Vixenpaw, you can take prey to Rainwater. I'm sure she'd be grateful."
Vixenpaw gazed at the small pile of prey in the center of camp. "It looks pitiful," she remarked.
"That's just why we're going to stock it up," Hazelclaw replied shortly. She turned and loped across the clearing to recruit Graywhisker, who was conversing with his mate near the fresh-kill pile.
Vixenpaw rolled her eyes. "I'd better do as my great mentor says," she meowed sarcastically. She trotted toward the pile and snatched up a squirrel to bring to Rainwater. Branchpaw watched her go, musing over her strange relationship with Hazelclaw. She seemed to admire her mentor greatly, but they were both strong-willed and their personalities tended to clash at times.
Growing bored with that thought, Branchpaw turned his head to glance at Flamepaw out of the corner of his eye. His brother was crouched with his paws tucked underneath him, his ears turning slowly forward. Perhaps Flamepaw is always quiet because he's listening, Branchpaw thought. He'd been trying for a while to solve the mystery of Flamepaw's pensive silence. He knew his brother was often lost in thought, but he wondered what Flamepaw could possibly be thinking about for so long without uttering a single word about it to anyone. In all his deep thinking, doesn't he wonder at all what we think about the things he dwells on?
Branchpaw was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Vixenpaw's return until she spoke. "I have an idea," she announced.
This statement was met with groans from both of her littermates. "What?" she mewed indignantly, flattening her ears. "What's the matter with that?"
"It's just… all your ideas are horrible, Vixenpaw," said Flamepaw.
"That is not true," Vixenpaw objected. "Right, Branchpaw?"
"Actually, they kind of are," Branchpaw meowed.
Vixenpaw's eyes widened and her tail lashed. "That's not fair!" she snapped. "Name one time I had a really awful idea."
"Well, there was that time when we were kits that you convinced us to sneak out of camp in the middle of the night," Branchpaw replied. He could remember that incident clearly. "We didn't make it very far because Snowfall thought we were a fox and sounded the alarm." Even as an apprentice, the white she-cat had been very timid. On her way back from the dirt place she had spotted Flamepaw's ginger pelt in the bushes behind the apprentices' den and mistaken it for the russet hues of a fox's fur. In Snowfall's defense, the flash of white on his chest did remind Branchpaw of the white at the tip of a fox's tail. Still, it hadn't been fun getting caught by Tigerfang and being dragged back to camp when they had barely set paw in the woods.
"And that other time that you decided we should play leader on the Highrock," Flamepaw offered. "You and Branchpaw got into a fight over who got to be leader. Branchpaw would have fallen right off the edge if Gingerpelt hadn't seen us and caught him right before he fell."
"I almost died before I ever became an apprentice thanks to your ideas," concluded Branchpaw. "Not to mention the fact that we always get in trouble when we carry out your plans. I've been confined to the camp for nearly half a moon due to an injury; I don't want to spend the rest of the moon searching Rainwater's pelt for ticks."
"Or changing her bedding," added Flamepaw.
"Okay, I've had bad ideas in the past," Vixenpaw conceded. "But can you at least listen to this one before you dismiss it as horrible?"
They both sighed. "Fine," Branchpaw meowed, while Flamepaw gave a nod of reluctant agreement.
Vixenpaw's tail shot up in delight. "Well," she began, her eyes sparkling in a way that could only mean trouble for all three of them, "I think the reason that no one is bringing back enough prey on hunting patrols is that they're looking in the wrong place."
Flamepaw tilted his head to one side, seeming intrigued. "Go on," Branchpaw meowed. He couldn't help being interested himself, despite the infamy of Vixenpaw's ideas.
"They've tried hunting in the middle of the forest," Vixenpaw continued. "But the prey there is running low because everyone's hunted there so often. The prey at Sunningrocks has become shrewd; the mice and birds know to avoid the area during the day, and you can only find them in the evening, when very few cats are out hunting. You know, during the time for sharing tongues."
Branchpaw nodded. Get on with it, Vixenpaw. Where are you going with this?
"The Owl Tree keeps the prey away from that area of the forest, and the noises of battle practice chase the other animals away from the Training Hollow," Vixenpaw went on. "But where's the one place that no one thinks to check?"
Flamepaw seemed uneasy, but he didn't give an answer. Branchpaw racked his brains, but he couldn't figure it out. Why does she have to make this into a test? The way she was talking to them reminded him of a mentor quizzing her apprentice. "I don't know," he meowed. "Just tell us."
Vixenpaw rolled her eyes. "Snakerocks, of course!" she mewed. "When's the last time you heard Hazelclaw send any patrol to Snakerocks? If no one's hunted there in moons, the prey won't expect a thing. And there won't be a prey shortage since we haven't been catching it all there."
Branchpaw had never been more convinced that his sister was a mouse-brain. "That's a dumb idea," he meowed. "Be sensible, Vixenpaw. There's a reason no one hunts at Snakerocks. It's much too dangerous! We might catch a few mice, but a snake might catch one of us!" And she accuses me of not thinking before I act, he thought angrily.
But Vixenpaw refused to be swayed. "Snakes may be dangerous, but we're trained fighters," she argued. "They don't fight strategically, but we do. We're much smarter than them, so we'll win every time."
That's her problem, Branchpaw realized. She's thought this out well, but she just can't see the flaws in the plan. She's so confident that she thinks we'll be fine no matter what happens. She doesn't think we can lose.
He turned and met Flamepaw's gaze. His brother seemed just as alarmed as he was. "Flamepaw, you don't think this is a good idea, do you?" he demanded.
Flamepaw shook his head.
"Well, I'm going," Vixenpaw said stubbornly. "You don't have to come with me. But you aren't going to talk me out of this. I'll go on my own." Before either of them could stop her, she turned and bounded away.
Dread coursed through Branchpaw. What if she gets killed? he thought fearfully. He could feel his tail puffing up in alarm and his hackles bristled uneasily.
He glanced at Flamepaw again and saw his own fear reflected in his brother's eyes. "We can't let her go alone," he meowed reluctantly.
"No," sighed Flamepaw. "We can't."
"We have to go after her," Branchpaw decided. "Come on, Flamepaw. Let's sneak out. We can't let anyone see us leave, because I'm pretty sure Nightwatcher wouldn't approve of us going to Snakerocks."
Vixenpaw wasn't hard to track. Not only had she left right before the did, but her scent trail led confidently and unwaveringly toward Snakerocks. Branchpaw led the way through the brightly colored forest, Flamepaw only a few pawsteps behind him. Branchpaw muttered to himself as he traveled, but his brother didn't say anything. His familiar silence both reassured Branchpaw and made him uneasy.
When they caught up to Vixenpaw, she had already had some success. She was facing away from them, but at the sound of their paws thumping against the ground, her ears pricked and she turned her head toward them. She had a small, gray mouse in her jaws. Catching sight of them, she dropped the mouse at her paws and let out a yowl of greeting.
"See? I told you this was a good idea," she mewed proudly. "I hardly set paw on the rocks when I scented this mouse."
"Great," meowed Branchpaw, cutting her off. "Now we have to leave."
"No," she replied, shaking her head stubbornly. "The hunting's good here. It would be a waste to leave after catching only one mouse."
Branchpaw exchanged glances with his brother. Flamepaw rolled his eyes in reluctant agreement. "Fine," Branchpaw said aloud. "But when the sun reaches that tree," he added, indicating a tall oak by pointing at it with his tail, "then we head back to camp."
Vixenpaw glanced up at the sky, clearly checking the position of the sun. It was approximately half a tail length from the tree that Branchpaw had chosen. "All right," she meowed, seeming happy enough with the agreement. "Let's make the most of that time, then."
Hesitantly, Branchpaw padded forward to join his sister on the rocks. They were somewhat jagged, far more rough on his pads than the smooth stones of Sunningrocks. There were many crevices and craters in the rocks here, making them the perfect lair for adders. The trees around Snakerocks threw dark shadows across the rugged terrain, giving it an even eerier atmosphere. The fur on Branchpaw's neck fluffed up in agitation.
"Are you all right?" Flamepaw asked him, coming to stand beside him as Vixenpaw crossed the rocks away from them.
"I'm fine," Branchpaw replied. "I'm just nervous."
"Would it help if I stood watch?" Flamepaw offered.
Branchpaw was surprised. "Don't you want to hunt?" he asked.
Flamepaw scuffed at the ground with one paw. "I'm not all that great at hunting. I'd probably be a lot more useful as a lookout than a hunter."
Branchpaw blinked gratefully at his brother. "I'm sure you're an amazing hunter," he said, nudging the ginger tabby with his nose. "But yes, having a lookout would be helpful."
Flamepaw purred at him for a moment, then turned away to scan the rocks for a higher point of elevation to stand on. Branchpaw didn't watch, but went about hunting. He tasted the air, quickly picking up the scent trail of a mouse. He crept carefully across the rocks, placing his paws lightly on the jagged surface of the stone. He winced as the pointed edges dug into his pads, but didn't let the pain stop him from pouncing on and catching the mouse.
"Nice," mewed Vixenpaw. "But you'd better hurry if you want to catch up." She nodded to her second mouse, which she had pinned to the ground between her front paws. Her eyes glimmered with a challenge.
"All right," Branchpaw answered, unable to resist. "I could catch more mice than you any day. It's no competition." He bounded away to the other side of the rocks before she could make a retort. He heard her indignant yell from far off; he purred with laughter.
Concentrating hard, Branchpaw managed to catch another mouse and a shrew in quick succession. It took him a while to find another scent trail after that. All the while, he was itching with curiosity to know how much Vixenpaw had caught. A slight worry flicked through his thoughts. What if she catches more prey than me after all? His ego might be in for some deep trouble.
He was so focused on the competition that he forgot to worry about snakes. If he had been paying more attention, he might have noticed a flicker of movement in one of the nearby crevices in the rock.
Tasting the air, he caught to scent of a vole. He licked his chops as his mouth watered in anticipation. He flattened his ears and kept as low as possible, stalking the creature. Soon, he spotted it near the edge of the rocks, sitting up on its hind legs and holding a small root between its paws. It was an exceptionally fat vole, and Branchpaw was looking forward to eating it when he got back to camp.
But before he could pounce, a new scent hit the roof of his mouth. At the same time, Flamepaw screamed, "Branchpaw, look out!"
Branchpaw whirled around, coming face to face with an enormous adder. It was strangely beautiful, with an almost hypnotizing pattern of yellowish-brown and black scales along its back. Its eyes were eerily similar to a cats', a deep orange color with slits of darkness for pupils. A forked, black tongue flicked out of its mouth as it slithered closer, its scales rasping softly against the stone beneath it. He met its gaze, momentarily frozen in place. It looked deep into his eyes, then hissed.
Move, he told himself, but his legs were locked and he couldn't obey his own instincts. He stood rooted to the spot as the snake slithered slowly toward him, its tongue flickering in and out of its mouth as though it were tasting his fear scent on the air. Its eyes glittered with poisonous pleasure.
"Hey, mouse-brain!" yowled a voice somewhere off to Branchpaw's left. There was a small blur of brownish-gray as something flew through the air toward the snake. It struck the adder's neck, causing it to reel backward with an angry hiss.
Branchpaw blinked in shock, then tore his gaze away from the snake, searching for the source of the voice. His eyes landed on Vixenpaw. She was standing several fox-lengths away, crouched beside a pile of small pebbles. As he watched, she turned and kicked one of the rocks with a hind paw. It sailed through the air toward the adder. The snake jerked its head back just in time to avoid being brained with the stone.
"Come fight me, coward!" Vixenpaw yelled. The snake turned its attention the dark ginger apprentice. She narrowed her eyes at it, crouching in place until it was about a fox-length away. Then she turned tail and ran.
Go, Vixenpaw! Branchpaw thought, impressed despite his fear. He scrambled away to the edge of the rocks, then jumped to the ground. He quickly uncovered the prey that he and Vixenpaw had caught and buried there during their competition.
"All right, Vixenpaw!" he yowled. "Time's up! We have to go!"
Flamepaw was still perched on the highest rocks, where he could see everything that was happening. His eyes were fixed on their sister, who was out of Branchpaw's line of sight. "Things aren't going well!" he called, turning his gaze to the brown-furred apprentice. His eyes were wide with fear.
His heart lurching, Branchpaw grabbed their prey and dashed over to his brother. He dropped it at Flamepaw's feet. "Take our prey and get out of here," he ordered. "I'll help Vixenpaw with the snake."
Flamepaw nodded shakily, then scooped up their prey and ran. Branchpaw didn't stop to watch him go, but whirled around to look for Vixenpaw. He spotted her nearby, and his heart almost stopped. The adder had backed her up against one of the crags in the rock and was continuing to advance on her. She hissed bravely at it, but Branchpaw could smell her fear scent.
Branchpaw hurtled toward them as fast as he could. The snake was rearing up ominously in front of his sister, ready to strike. No, Branchpaw thought, dizzy with panic. His paws were numb with adrenaline; he couldn't feel the rough stone beneath his pads anymore as he ran. All he felt was the pounding of his heart in his chest, beating so hard that it hurt, and the pulse hammering in his ears.
As he neared the snake, he felt a jolt of pain in his shoulder, the one that he had injured in his fall. Mouse-dung, he cursed inwardly. He'd thought it was all healed by now. Fear shot through him like a bolt of lightning. He was barely a fox-length away from the snake, but he wasn't close enough to fight it and he doubted that his leg would be able to take the strain of running if he tried to get any closer. His heart twisted in his chest. But Vixenpaw…
The apprentice made a split-second decision. He dropped into a crouch, then sprang, pushing off the ground only with his hind legs. He cleared the distance between him and the snake with one massive leap, landing squarely on the adder's scaly back. The snake hissed in shock and rage, trying to whip its head around to bite him, but Branchpaw pinned its neck firmly to the ground with one forepaw. His shoulder throbbed, threatening to buckle beneath his weight, but he didn't need it to be at its full strength anymore, not now that he was in just the right place to finish the fight. Leaning down, he sank his teeth into the snake's neck, killing it.
Branchpaw took a deep, shuddering breath. Looking up, he met Vixenpaw's gaze. Her eyes were wide with shock, but somewhere in their emerald depths, he thought he could see a glint of respect.
"That… was amazing," she breathed at last. She shook her head, seeming baffled. "Whoa."
Branchpaw opened his mouth, but found himself unable to speak.
"Come on," said Vixenpaw, taking a step toward him and nudging him with her muzzle. "We'd better get back to camp."
Branchpaw stepped back, removing his paws from the snake's neck. He felt a sharp twinge in his injured shoulder and let out a little cry of pain.
Vixenpaw stiffened, her tail bushing up in alarm. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he muttered, clenching his teeth until the pain ebbed away. "I just aggravated my old shoulder injury."
His sister sighed in relief, the puff of air making her whiskers flutter. "For a moment I was worried that the snake had bitten you some time during the fight."
"No, it wasn't anything that bad," he assured her.
Suddenly, Branchpaw heard the pounding of pawsteps on the ground. His head shot up and his ears pricked. He tasted the air, picking up the scents of Flamepaw, Tigerfang, Gingerpelt, Ravenflight, and Featherwing just before they burst out of the trees and onto the Snakerocks.
Gingerpelt was the first to catch sight of them. She charged across the rocks toward them, skidding to a halt as she reached Branchpaw's side. "Are you all right?" she asked, her voice as anxious as he'd ever heard it. She sniffed his ears, her fear scent clouding around him as she checked him for signs of injury. Tigerfang barreled up beside her, almost tackling Vixenpaw in his anxiousness to be sure that she was okay.
"We're both fine," Vixenpaw answered for Branchpaw, her tail shooting up in excitement. "Did you see what Branchpaw did to the snake? You wouldn't believe how he killed it."
Tigerfang's gaze whipped around to rest on Branchpaw. "You… you killed a snake?" he asked, his disbelief and shock clear in his voice.
Very slowly, Branchpaw nodded.
Tigerfang blinked. "That's amazing," he breathed, echoing Vixenpaw's earlier words. His amber eyes gleamed with something that made Branchpaw's heart skip a beat. Was that pride? Could his father really be proud of him?
Flamepaw came bounding up behind their parents. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I shouldn't have left you. I should have fought alongside you." His eyes were round with dismay.
"It's all right," Branchpaw mewed. "You got help for us. That was… helpful."
Vixenpaw snorted with amusement. "How enlightening. I never would have guessed that getting help was helpful."
"Oh, shut up," Branchpaw said, swiping at her halfheartedly before turning back to his brother. "What I mean to say is that you did the right thing, Flamepaw," he meowed. "Even if you returned a little late."
Flamepaw still looked uncertain, but he nodded, a flicker of relief in his eyes.
Ravenflight and Featherwing approached more slowly, scanning the rocks for further signs of danger before coming to stand with their Clanmates. Featherwing studied the dead snake, her blue eyes wide with surprise. Ravenflight's gaze was fixed on Branchpaw, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The apprentice shivered under his close scrutiny.
"Wasn't his catch impressive?" Vixenpaw prompted, noticing the black warrior's look.
Ravenflight glanced at her. "Yes," he murmured. "It certainly was."
Vixenpaw turned to look at Branchpaw, obviously perplexed. But before she could say anything, Gingerpelt spoke. "We should get back to camp," she meowed. "Falconstar will be relieved to know that you're all right, as will your mentors. You made the whole Clan worry about you, you know."
"Sorry," Vixenpaw said, ducking her head. But Branchpaw could see from the excited gleam in her eyes that she didn't mean it.
Gingerpelt gave her a stern look, but said nothing.
Tigerfang led the way back to camp, Featherwing flanking him on one side and Ravenflight on the other. Flamepaw and Vixenpaw followed close behind, carrying the snake between them. Gingerpelt lagged near the back of the group, supporting Branchpaw with her shoulder. His leg was beginning to feel better, but it was still too sore for him to walk without limping. I probably sprained it again, he thought dismally.
But to his relief, as they walked, the pain lessened considerably. By the time the group of cats got back to camp, Branchpaw's leg didn't hurt at all. However, he still walked slowly, not wanting to put too much strain on it.
When they entered the camp, they were greeted by what looked like the entire Clan. Icepaw bounded forward, stopping in her tracks when she saw the adder that Flamepaw and Vixenpaw carried. "Wow," she gasped. "You actually caught a snake!"
"It was Branchpaw who caught it," Vixenpaw announced proudly.
"Are all of you all right?" Cloudfur asked, with motherly concern.
"Not a scratch on me," Vixenpaw assured her. "Flamepaw and Branchpaw are perfectly fine, too."
Hazelclaw weaved her way through the crowd, coming to stand in front of her apprentice. "Why do I have the feeling that this was all your idea?" she asked tiredly.
Vixenpaw gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look. "I don't know."
Flamepaw sighed, shaking his head.
Falconstar pushed his way through the crowd. His eyes landed on the dead snake. "You say that Branchpaw caught this?" he inquired.
A hush fell over the assembled cats at their leader's words. Vixenpaw turned to face the massive gray tom, dipping her head respectfully. "Yes, that's right," she meowed solemnly. Branchpaw noticed that her eyes no longer sparkled with carefree excitement.
"And which one of you three decided it was all right for you to go to Snakerocks without your leader's permission?" Falconstar asked.
Vixenpaw lowered her gaze, swallowing hard. "It was me," she meowed quietly.
The Clan leader eyed her thoughtfully. His yellow gaze flickered up to rest briefly on Flamepaw, then traveled slowly across the group of cats to land on Branchpaw. The apprentice swallowed nervously.
"I will have to punish you," Falconstar decided at last. "It was foolish of you to go hunting in such a dangerous place, and what's more is that you did this without permission. Hazelclaw tells me she allowed you three to leave camp, but she specifically told you not to go too far. However," he added, as the apprentices all looked at their paws, "you three are to be commended for your bravery and your hunting expertise. "
Branchpaw could hardly believe his ears. Not only had he managed to impress his father, but the Clan leader himself had complimented his skills.
"You are dismissed," Falconstar said. His tone was firm, but when Branchpaw risked glancing upward, he saw that his gaze was gentle. "I shall leave it up to your mentors to decide how you will be punished."
Vixenpaw started to move first and Flamepaw hesitantly followed suit. But when Branchpaw took a step to follow them, Falconstar called him back. "Branchpaw, wait just a moment."
The apprentice stopped, glancing uncertainly over his shoulder at the Clan leader.
"Catching a snake without getting bitten is no easy task," said Falconstar. "This proves that you are a hunter that ThunderClan can be proud of. For this reason, I invite you to accompany me to the Gathering tomorrow night."
Branchpaw's jaw dropped. "A-are you serious?" he stammered. Neither he nor his littermates had ever been to a Gathering before.
Falconstar looked amused. "Yes, I am," he meowed.
"Thank you," Branchpaw replied, dipping his head respectfully.
Falconstar acknowledged his gesture with a nod. "Now you may go."
Hardly believing his luck, Branchpaw turned and raced after his littermates. Flamepaw purred in delight. "Great job!" Vixenpaw meowed cheerfully, almost tackling him in her eagerness to twine her tail with his. "You'll have to tell us all about it when you get back."
"Congratulations!" Icepaw purred, her eyes shining with admiration as she bounded up to join them. "You deserve it, Branchpaw."
Stormpaw followed closely behind her. "Congratulations," he echoed more calmly, his green eyes gleaming in a friendly manner.
"Let's go into our den," Vixenpaw said, twining herself around Icepaw and Stormpaw. "I want to tell you all about how Branchpaw caught the snake."
"My goodness," Flamepaw murmured. "You're more excited about this than he is."
Vixenpaw gave him a look. "That's what littermates are supposed to do," she meowed. "Tell everyone about your accomplishments, so they know the whole story without you bragging about it yourself. You know, so you look modest. And also because they're proud of you, of course."
"I didn't know about that rule," Stormpaw said mildly.
"That's because it isn't one," Branchpaw mewed, half-touched and half-exasperated by Vixenpaw's enthusiasm.
"Sure it is," Vixenpaw said indignantly.
Icepaw purred with amusement. Branchpaw's whiskers twitched despite himself.
"Come on," Vixenpaw urged. "Don't you want to hear the story?"
"Of course," Icepaw meowed.
Vixenpaw led the way into the den, and one by one the others followed. Branchpaw was the last one to head in. Before he did, he glanced around the camp, wondering where Blackpaw was. His rival hadn't gathered with the other apprentices outside the den, and in fact, Branchpaw hadn't seen him at all since they had gotten back from Snakerocks.
Now he spotted Blackpaw on the other side of the camp, standing with the warriors near the fresh-kill pile. As though sensing Branchpaw's eyes on him, the dark-furred apprentice glanced over his shoulder. His emerald eyes glittered with sullen resentment.
I finally did something better than you, Branchpaw realized with a pang of satisfaction.
Blackpaw blinked and narrowed his eyes. Branchpaw felt a flash of triumph. He turned his back on his rival and entered the apprentices' den with his friends. Icepaw and Stormpaw were gazing at Vixenpaw eagerly as she told the story of Branchpaw's catch. Flamepaw was watching too, seeming amused in spite of himself. Branchpaw felt a rush of affection for them all, mixed with a surge of happiness.
But something made Branchpaw look over his shoulder at Blackpaw, who was still standing near the fresh-kill pile. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by Clanmates, he suddenly looked very lonely. He was gazing into space, seeming utterly lost.
Branchpaw blinked, surprised. But when he looked back at his rival, the loneliness was gone and Blackpaw seemed just as resentful and grouchy as always.
Shaking off the strange feeling in his stomach, Branchpaw turned his attention back to the other apprentices. Vixenpaw had almost finished telling the story by this point. Now that his shock was starting to fade, he noticed something that he hadn't before; his sister was surrounded by an aura of almost smug satisfaction that seemed to have little to do with the success of their hunt.
A/N: That's it for now. If I made any typos that I didn't catch, please let me know. I didn't have someone else proof-read this chapter, even though I read it over twice myself, so I might have missed something.
Also, please review. I'd love to know what you think of my story. :)
Thanks for reading! ~Blaze